Russia and the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are locked in a diplomatic row over festivities to mark the end of World War II.
The Kremlin has invited the presidents of the three states to Moscow on May 9 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany. It has also invited world leaders including German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who would be the first German leader to attend such an anniversary in Moscow.
However, the Baltic leaders are coming under intense public pressure not to attend an event that also marks the start of the region's forced subjugation to Moscow.
The Red Army occupied the three countries during the second world war after fierce fighting with nationalists. In 1941, Nazi Germany invaded and thousands of volunteers from the Baltic states joined German units in an attempt to fend off the Soviet advance.
The era remains deeply sensitive for the three countries, not least because many residents collaborated in the Nazi massacres of Jews.
Moscow argues that its occupation liberated the Baltics from Nazi tyranny.
The Baltic countries did not break free from Moscow's embrace until the break-up of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s.
For many in the three states, which have all joined the EU and NATO, the thought of their leaders bowing and scraping in the Kremlin is too much to bear. Wary of a domestic backlash, the presidents of Latvia and Estonia are considering a boycott of the celebrations.
Estonian President Arnold Ruutel consulted members of parliament last week and said his decision must "preserve Baltic unity." He said he might send Prime Minister Juhan Part, in his place in what would be seen as a snub to Moscow.
Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus has said he will not answer Moscow's invitation until it is "strategically convenient" for the country.
A poll in Lithuania last week showed 34 percent of people thought he should refuse the visit. Opposition politicians are campaigning against the trip.
President Vaira Vike-Freiberga of Latvia has agreed to travel but infuriated Moscow with the prediction that, "on May 9, Russian people will place a Caspian roach on a newspaper, drink vodka, sing folk songs, and recall how they heroically conquered the Baltics."
In Germany, opposition politicians have suggested it would be better for Schroder to avoid a parade by the Red Army, which, they say, brought about the division of Germany.
Tatyana Zhdanok, member of the European Parliament from Latvia's Russian-speaking community, said the president had no desire to attend the Moscow events but had capitulated under EU pressure.
"It would be better for her to stay at home if she does not want honestly to join the celebrations," Zhdanok said. "She will only use the anniversary as a platform to claim the Red Army occupied Latvia rather than liberating it."
In an attempt to sweeten the May 9 visit, Russia is offering to finalize border agreements and sign a declaration on shared objectives with the Baltic leaders the next day.
But President Vladimir Putin warned: "We are extending a hand of friendship. Whether it will be taken, shaken or not does not depend on us."
STEPPING UP: Diminished US polar science presence mean opportunities for the UK and other countries, although China or Russia might also fill that gap, a researcher said The UK’s flagship polar research vessel is to head to Antarctica next week to help advance dozens of climate change-linked science projects, as Western nations spearhead studies there while the US withdraws. The RRS Sir David Attenborough, a state-of-the-art ship named after the renowned British naturalist, would aid research on everything from “hunting underwater tsunamis” to tracking glacier melt and whale populations. Operated by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), the country’s polar research institute, the 15,000-tonne icebreaker — boasting a helipad, and various laboratories and gadgetry — is pivotal to the UK’s efforts to assess climate change’s impact there. “The saying goes
Police in China detained dozens of pastors of one of its largest underground churches over the weekend, a church spokesperson and relatives said, in the biggest crackdown on Christians since 2018. The detentions, which come amid renewed China-US tensions after Beijing dramatically expanded rare earth export controls last week, drew condemnation from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who on Sunday called for the immediate release of the pastors. Pastor Jin Mingri (金明日), founder of Zion Church, an unofficial “house church” not sanctioned by the Chinese government, was detained at his home in the southern city of Beihai on Friday evening, said
Floods on Sunday trapped people in vehicles and homes in Spain as torrential rain drenched the northeastern Catalonia region, a day after downpours unleashed travel chaos on the Mediterranean island of Ibiza. Local media shared videos of roaring torrents of brown water tearing through streets and submerging vehicles. National weather agency AEMET decreed the highest red alert in the province of Tarragona, warning of 180mm of rain in 12 hours in the Ebro River delta. Catalan fire service spokesman Oriol Corbella told reporters people had been caught by surprise, with people trapped “inside vehicles, in buildings, on ground floors.” Santa Barbara Mayor Josep Lluis
The Venezuelan government on Monday said that it would close its embassies in Norway and Australia, and open new ones in Burkina Faso and Zimbabwe in a restructuring of its foreign service, after weeks of growing tensions with the US. The closures are part of the “strategic reassignation of resources,” Venezueland President Nicolas Maduro’s government said in a statement, adding that consular services to Venezuelans in Norway and Australia would be provided by diplomatic missions, with details to be shared in the coming days. The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it had received notice of the embassy closure, but no
RSS